even in its abstract form. >> brown: jamison grew up in philadelphia. her father a carpenter, her mother a schl teacher. she began to dance at age 6, her first stage a sheet on a backyard clothes line. at home she also learned her mantra for success, for dance and life. >> pray, prepare and proceed. >> brown: pray, prepare and proceed. >> yes. there's always a lot of prayer in my house. preparing, gosh, if you start dancing when you're six years old, you know, i think that's preparing. >> brown: and then proceed. >> proceed means when the curtain goes up you go for it with excellence. with confidence. i mean the curtain goes up on your life every day. you open your eyes and the curtain is up. >> brown: jamison made her new york debut with the new york blue jay theater in 1964 and then met the man who would change her life. the legendary founder of the company and creator of such landmark works as revelations. for 15 years jamison , 5'10" tall, full bodied, fearless on stage, was the most famous dancer in the company and one of the most famous in the wor